lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
The figure has been removed and put out back with closing the attraction. There shouldn’t be a need for a long closure if the figure was to be fixed or replaced.
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Expedition Everest effects status watch
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
yensidtlaw1969
Well-Known Member
Not to be a nag, but I think there are some typos in this post that might be worth clarifying
I may have been under the mistaken impression that it wasnt just the figure but the structure it was mounted on.
Smiley/OCD
Well-Known Member
The POINT is, Joe listed finance first because that’s the main reason, plain and simple…TWDC doesn’t want to spend the money for an effect that’s only seen for a second or two…they also don’t want to shut the ride down to repair it because that is one of the main rides in the park. I think Joe was being diplomatic, but cash is king.
He also mentioned Guest Satisfaction last...though it's hardly a revelation.
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
Guest satisfaction ties in with finance here.
If people stop enjoying the ride (and more importantly stop riding it in general), there's suddenly incentive to spend money on fixing it because it's no longer operationally successful. If they believed fixing the yeti (in this scenario) would significantly increase guest satisfaction and ridership, then they'd have a reason to do so instead of letting the ride operate unproductively.
Unfortunately (or fortunately if you're Disney), people still really like the ride as-is, so that incentive doesn't exist.
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lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
The issue is with the figure itself. One of the challenges is how Disney's view of overhead set and effects has changed over the years. Disney would not allow an overhead figure on a deficient structure to remain in place.
Yep. OSHA.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
No, not OSHA. Federal OSHA is about worker safety and there is no federal regulatory regime for fixed amusements. Only in California does Cal/OSHA have oversight of fixed amusement attractions. In Florida, occupational safety falls under the Department of Health while amusement safety is handled by the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. Disney maintains their own internal standards that at times are more restrictive than regulatory standards.
Seems like they're really shooting themselves in the foot being their own regulating body especially when deciding if something can or cannot be above guests. Why would they intentionally say nay if the standard says it's OK?
DisneyFanatic12
Well-Known Member
Because of something goes wrong they lose a ton of vacationers… the tourist drought could last years
All our direct insiders here agree with what Joe just said and the quoted post below.
All the false narratives of "shutting the ride down" or "structural problems" come from people repeating what they hear 'out there,' which is wrong.
tl;dr -- the Yeti is plug and play. It can be taken out one night to be looked at and put back in the same night. The problem is the armature and pistons of the Yeti which put too much torque on its skeleton causing it to buckle. All WDW needs to do is build a new Yeti without that same problem and, at the same time, meet more restrictive regulation about swinging a half-ton AA over guests. Various parks departments are at odds over who will do it and where the money will come from.
All the false narratives of "shutting the ride down" or "structural problems" come from people repeating what they hear 'out there,' which is wrong.
tl;dr -- the Yeti is plug and play. It can be taken out one night to be looked at and put back in the same night. The problem is the armature and pistons of the Yeti which put too much torque on its skeleton causing it to buckle. All WDW needs to do is build a new Yeti without that same problem and, at the same time, meet more restrictive regulation about swinging a half-ton AA over guests. Various parks departments are at odds over who will do it and where the money will come from.
I've been meaning to post this for quite a while, but just haven't had time. Thanks to a recent reminder from @Master Yoda to try and shed some light on the Yeti debacle....
Ok, so back in September I was at a conference at WDW, and the wife decided to book a Dine With An Imagineer lunch at DHS. I skipped one of my educational sessions to do this, and we ended up with a 2-for-1. The main imagineer was a Show Design and Production manager, who was a DWAI veteran (and most recently involved in the Frozen Ever After project); the other guy was a mechanical engineer in charge of show quality, who was a newbie-in-training, at least when it came to these dinners. He explained to us that it was his job to do periodic "reviews" of the rides, and point out areas where show quality is falling below certain standards. He's also heavily involved in maintaining ride systems and animatronics. It was a fantastic experience, and we learned a lot about how things work behind the scenes, but nearing the end of our time, I (obviously) couldn't resist bringing up the Yeti.
Immediately upon my mentioning the Yeti, I could see that it was an obvious a sore spot for him. He stated that there have been multiple proposals put forth for repairing it, but none of the "big shots" have been on board. As for the specific problem, he mentioned that there are a couple of factors: flaws in the original "design calculations" (these were his words), particularly with regard to operational and maintenance conditions on such a large animatronic, and inability to perform proper maintenance on the Yeti. No mention of "shifting/failed foundations" as is often suggested. As a practicing structural engineer, I wanted to know whether this was the problem, and he indicated that the main issue is the animatronic itself.
The other factor is the ability to perform maintenance on the animatronic. I think this is the source of rumors that they "can't replace /fix it without opening up the mountain" rumors, but it's actually much simpler, and this issue ties into the first. He specifically talked about unanticipated stresses in parts of the animatronic due to lack of maintenance in other parts. If one of the motors in the yeti's elbow wears out or isn't functioning properly, but they continue to operate under those conditions, then higher stresses are transferred to the shoulder and chest, etc. My best guess regarding his comments about "incorrect calculations" is that he was referring to fatigue related problems in the robotic parts, and possibly in other structural supports.
The other major factor is that things have changed dramatically at WDW in the last few years regarding their compliance with OSHA standards for maintenance and fall protection. Any new work done to get the Yeti operational means that they have to update the design to meet these standards, so that ongoing maintenance on the animatronic can be safely performed. This would involve major upgrades to allow compliance with fall protection and other things related to maintenance workers.
It was encouraging at least to see how much it bothered him that it didn't work. He brought up the Universal dig re: their Kong animatronic (it moves...) and said that he and his colleagues all read blogs and other social media comments for research and to pick up on things they miss in their reviews. So, there you have it. Take it for what it's worth, but this guy was no bus driver...
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Show sets are something that sit in more a grey zone of regulation depending on a lot of factors. Where they fall and what regulations apply can cary wildly. Part of the way you [typically] avoid regulation is by doing it yourself and at least trying to do a decent job.
Then you just have issues such as liability. Part of induced stricter internal requirements were incidents at Disney's own properties.
5thGenTexan
Well-Known Member
I rode Everest for the first time last week.
If I didn't read posts on this forum I wouldn't know there was a Yeti problem.
I know the setup for the Yeti exists in the queue. I know the tracks are messed up at the top of the first lift. I know there is the, I guess animation of the Yeti ripping up tracks.
I honestly don't know where the busted Yeti is on the ride and wouldnt know it existed if not for reading here. I know its not going to be popular here, but my ignorance of the Yeti location did not have any bearing on the experience for me.
DisneyFanatic12
Well-Known Member
Yea, the Yeti animatronic is my no means central to the story line or ride experiance. It was rather a fun scare that wrapped up the experiance well. The giant Yeti that you pass through at the very end of the ride as you go through the cave one last time used to jump up and down and swing his arm at you…
It no longer moves, but the strobe light does make it appear to many as though he does. That’s what’s given him the affectionate name of “Disco Yeti”.
5thGenTexan
Well-Known Member
Things were going to so fast... I might have seen a strobe. I can't even say I saw that.
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
That's exactly my point.
It's still an excellent ride even without the yeti working (and the other broken effects as well). It's just not as good as it could/should be.
James Alucobond
Well-Known Member
I would honestly rather spend the budget on a full-time hairband fetcher for Everest and Gran Fiesta. Or perhaps on legal fees resultant from placing hairband polluters in the Liberty Square stockade.
BlakeW39
Well-Known Member
Here's the thing with the yeti.
Current WDC thinking is likely that, because guest satisfaction with EE is high even without the yeti, there's no reason to spend huge sums of money to 'fix what ain't broke.' Most people don't even know the yeti exists.
But is it harming guest experience? 100% absolutely. How many guests have had an inferior ride experience over YEARS, even if they don't know it? Guests may not know the ride is broken...but it actually is, so whether they know it or not, their memories are a lot blander than they could/should be. So there is an incentive to fix the yeti. Increase show quality, which in turn increases guest satisfaction. Guest satisfaction for EE isn't low now.... but it could be higher if the attraction worked properly. Currently WDC feels the improvement to guest experience derived from a working yeti isn't worth the cost. But to say it's not negatively impacting guest experience at all is pretty short sighted. Guests don't know what they're missing out on, but they ARE missing out and their experience is inferior as a result.
Current WDC thinking is likely that, because guest satisfaction with EE is high even without the yeti, there's no reason to spend huge sums of money to 'fix what ain't broke.' Most people don't even know the yeti exists.
But is it harming guest experience? 100% absolutely. How many guests have had an inferior ride experience over YEARS, even if they don't know it? Guests may not know the ride is broken...but it actually is, so whether they know it or not, their memories are a lot blander than they could/should be. So there is an incentive to fix the yeti. Increase show quality, which in turn increases guest satisfaction. Guest satisfaction for EE isn't low now.... but it could be higher if the attraction worked properly. Currently WDC feels the improvement to guest experience derived from a working yeti isn't worth the cost. But to say it's not negatively impacting guest experience at all is pretty short sighted. Guests don't know what they're missing out on, but they ARE missing out and their experience is inferior as a result.
BlakeW39
Well-Known Member
it's solid. But I don't think it's as much of a standout to your average guest as it would be with the yeti. It's still a very good ride, but not a "Wow!" ride.
That is the incentive TWDC has to fix it. It should be a stand out in someone's memory and a reason to travel back to WDW. Currently it's only half way there. Still a solid ride with good guest satisfaction but it lacks the Disney wow factor that it, by all rights, should have.